Pushkin museum refuses exhibition in London

Fine arts museum of Pushkin has refused to take part in an exhibition in a famous gallery Tate in London.

According to RIA Novosti the director of the museum Irina Antonova informed about that. She says this decision was made because there are no guarantees for protection of works of art from clams of third persons in British legislation.
The problem is a painting by the painter Anry Russo. The exhibition in the gallery Tate was opened at November, 3 and it will be extended there until 5 February, 2006. Antonova says the exhibition then will move to Paris and Pushkin museum is ready to send the painting there if the direction gives all necessary guarantee documents.

Antonova says the director general of "Ermitazh" Mikhail Piotrovsky stopped the organization of 3 exhibitions in Switzerland until all legal terms of Russian cultural values sojourn in this country are settled.

Acting head of a department of Pushkin museum foreign ties Inna Orn explained the decision of cancellation of the painting accordance was made a month before the incident in Switzerland and was not concerned with it.

But the direction of Tretyakov gallery is not going to refuse exhibitions abroad. The gallery deputy director general Lidia Iovleva told that in her interview for broadcasting station "Echo of Moscow". She noticed there were no scheduled exhibitions either in Switzerland or in Great Britain during next six months.

54 pictures of French artists from the collection of Fine arts museum of Pushkin were arrested at 15 November in Switzerland at the suit of the company Noga against Russian Federation. The dispute was reconciled at 16 November by common efforts of Russian diplomatic mission and Swiss government.

sections: Culture